NFL Player News

Harris (hamstring) was present at the open portion of Tuesday's practice, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.

After sustaining a hamstring injury just before halftime in the Patriots' last game, Week 13 at Buffalo, Harris managed just one carry before the team ruled him out for the rest of the bad-weather contest. Still, he managed his fourth 100-yard effort of the campaign, while Rhamondre Stevenson took on a larger role out of the backfield (24 carries for 78 yards), while Brandon Bolden mixed into the offense (five touches for 35 yards) as well. Assuming Harris puts himself on a path to play Saturday at Indianapolis, he could take on the biggest share of reps given to New England RBs.

Coach Dan Campbell said Monday he's "hopeful" Swift (shoulder) will be available for Sunday's matchup against Arizona.

Swift said that both Swift and T.J. Hockenson (hand) are "feeling better" Monday. The young running back and tight end are Detroit's most impactful skill-position players, so it would provide a notable boost for Jared Goff to get both back on the field against Arizona's dangerous defense. Meanwhile, Jamaal Williams (illness) remains on the COVID-19 list to begin Tuesday.

Breida carried three times for 12 yards and had no catches on one target in Sunday's overtime loss to the Buccaneers.

Managers forced to use Breida had high hopes when Zack Moss was made a healthy inactive for the second time in three weeks, but Josh Allen ended up with five more carries than the combined total of Devin Singletary and Breida. The Buffalo running back situation is an all-out carousel, and at this point trying to pick one of the three ponies is futile. Singletary is the best bet of the three only because he has the largest role in the passing game, something the Bills rely on far more than their running game. Incredibly, no Buffalo running back had a single carry in the entire first half Sunday.

Jones rushed three times for eight yards in the Buccaneers' 33-27 overtime win over the Bills on Sunday.

The backup running back once again handled a small role behind Leonard Fournette, with Jones logging just eight snaps from scrimmage. With just four carries over the last two games, Jones heads into a Week 15 battle against the Saints with little momentum, although it's worth noting he's less than a month removed from having scored rushing touchdowns in back-to-back contests Weeks 11 and 12.

Conner rushed 13 times for 31 yards and two touchdowns, and caught all nine of his targets for 94 yards in Monday night's 30-23 loss to the Rams.

Conner was largely bottled up in the running game, but he nonetheless turned in a fantastic performance. He punished defenders with his physicality, including on both of his touchdown runs, and made them miss on other occasions. Along with extending his touchdown streak to seven games, Conner also made an awesome, one-handed catch for the second straight outing, ultimately contributing toward career highs in receptions, targets and receiving yards. With 125 yards from scrimmage, he again capitalized on the absence of Chase Edmonds (ankle), and whether Edmonds is involved in Week 15 versus the Lions or not, Conner's matchup appears favorable.

Head coach Pete Carroll said Monday that he's "hopeful" that Homer (calf/hamstring) will be back Sunday versus the Rams, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

Carroll is notoriously optimistic about his players getting back on the field. We may need to see him at practice in some fashion Wednesday to feel truly hopeful that he can play Sunday. His role on offense likely will be limited regardless, as he's coming off soft-tissue injuries, Rashaad Penny appears to be the starter for now, and Alex Collins is healthy as the No. 2 option. Homer should contribute on special teams and on clear passing downs if he can play.

Head coach Pete Carroll said Monday that the Seahawks will continue rotating running backs, but Penny deserves the chance to be the primary option out of the backfield, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

While Carroll won't commit to Penny being the unequivocal No. 1 back, he seemingly admitted that it's Penny's job to lose. That's not surprising after Penny rushed 16 times for 137 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 33-13 win over the Texans while Alex Collins generated just 16 yards on seven carries. However, both of Penny's touchdowns this week were from beyond 30 yards, so we don't know if he'll be the goal-line back moving forward, especially if Adrian Peterson (back) is ready for the Week 15 matchup against the Rams. Nevertheless, we should expect Carroll to feature Penny in the backfield as long as the 2018 first-round pick continues to be effective.

Mattison (illness), whom the Vikings placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday, isn't vaccinated and thus has entered into a 10-day quarantine, making him unavailable for next Monday's game at Chicago, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Mattison returned to his complementary role out of the backfield last Thursday against the Steelers with Dalvin Cook (shoulder) back in the lineup, taking six carries for 27 yards. With Monday's development, those reps now will trickle down to Kene Nwangwu and Wayne Gallman, who was claimed off waivers Monday. Mattison's next chance to suit up will come Dec. 26 against the Rams.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh said he expects Carter (ankle) to return from injured reserve for Sunday's game in Miami, Andy Vasquez of The Bergen Record reports.

The rookie running back has been sidelined for New York's last three games with a low-grade ankle sprain, but he looks like he'll be in store for a minimum-length stay on IR. Before the Jets add him back to the roster, the team presumably will see how he checks out in their first Week 15 practice Wednesday, when he'll likely be designated for return from IR. If he demonstrates enough progress to get the green light for Sunday, Carter could immediately supplant Tevin Coleman (concussion) and Ty Johnson as the lead option out of the backfield. After seeing the field for no more than 46 percent of the Jets' offensive snaps through the first three weeks of the season, Carter handled at least half of the snaps in six straight games prior to exiting early with the injury Week 11. During that six-game stretch, Carter averaged 89.3 yards from scrimmage and 0.67 touchdowns on 13 carries and 4.3 receptions per contest.

Ekeler (ankle) was listed as a non-participant on Monday's practice estimate, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

That said, coach Brandon Staley has indicated that Ekeler's ankle issue is "nothing major," and that the Chargers' top back is expected back at practice in advance of Thursday night's game against Kansas City.